In order to protect and preserve the aesthetic qualities of the finish on an automobile or other vehicle, it is generally known to provide a clear (non-pigmented or slightly pigmented) topcoat over a colored (pigmented) basecoat, so that the basecoat remains unaffected even during prolonged exposure to the environment or weathering. Generally in the art, this is known as a basecoat/topcoat or basecoat/clearcoat finish. Typically, the basecoat is applied over a primer coat. During application of each of these coats, or during repair thereof, nibs, protrusions or other defects may occur which aesthetically detract from the appearance of the finish.
Removal of such defects (commonly referred to as “de-nibbing”) is currently accomplished by abrading methods that are typically slow and tedious, and may result in flat spots in the characteristic orange-peel appearance of areas of the clear coat that are adjacent to nibs that are removed. To overcome this change in appearance, a technician may be required to repair a full body panel, instead of repairing the individual defects.
More generally, the same issues of blending the surface appearance are also of at least aesthetic importance in many other conventional abrading processes such as, for example, those processes involving coated abrasive products.